We’ve always taken the time to recognise International Women’s Day at Nexus Studios and we especially love this year’s official theme for the holiday, invest in women: accelerate progress. It emphasises the need to take deliberate, economic steps to create an inclusive society. 

This theme also resonates with She Creates Change, our groundbreaking series with Room to Read, which premieres on Warner Bros. Discovery channels today! 

The empowering series combines live-action and animation to tell the stories of six girls, who participated in Room to Read’s programs, who use life skills such as empathy and perseverance to overcome obstacles and transform their lives. Learn more about the project here.

To celebrate the day’s theme we spoke to the women behind the series and asked them to reflect on an important question: Why do we need more animated stories for women, by women? Read on to discover their insights.

 

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SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE

Commenting on the importance of speaking from experience, Hannah Lau-Walker, director of ‘Trang’, reflects that “the stories [women] tell will express the views, experiences and priorities of women.” Bonnie Taylor Forsyth, director of ‘Keya’, echoes these sentiments, “only we can understand the context of our own intersectionalities, and then create work for other women to show them that they are not alone, to uplift them, to give them space to think and inspire change.” Neeraja Raj, director of ‘Diksha’, looked even broader, focusing on the universal importance of these types of stories, explain that by “encouraging all women to animate their truths [it] not only diversifies our understanding but also enriches the tapestry of human experience.”

UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES

Julia Parfitt, Executive Producer at Nexus Studios, reflected on the unique perspective women bring to storytelling, “women lean into collaboration and community and seeing that perspective animated on screen solidifies that aim.” Prashanti Aswani, director of ‘Yashika’, believes that “as women, we possess a very strong intuition that should be used and reflected in the stories we share with the world.” 

POWER OF ANIMATION

Next to the unique perspective offered by women in storytelling, the directors and producers were also quick to highlight the advantages and opportunities the medium of animation brings. For example, Claudia Chinyere Akole, co-director of ‘Naifat’, commented that “animated stories are often the kind that stay with us our whole lives – they can communicate the complexity of human experience in a way we can only imagine.” Julia Parfitt believes “animation can break down boundaries and translate ideas in a way that other mediums might not reach.” Prashanti also weighs in, “there are far too many important stories to tell that can’t simply be shot through a lens. These stories encapsulate a kind of magic that a hundred lenses can’t capture. That’s the power of animation.”

POWER OF ANIMATION

Next to the unique perspective offered by women in storytelling, the directors and producers were also quick to highlight the advantages and opportunities the medium of animation brings. For example, Claudia Chinyere Akole, co-director of ‘Naifat’, commented that “animated stories are often the kind that stay with us our whole lives – they can communicate the complexity of human experience in a way we can only imagine.” Julia Parfitt believes “animation can break down boundaries and translate ideas in a way that other mediums might not reach.” Prashanti also weighs in, “there are far too many important stories to tell that can’t simply be shot through a lens. These stories encapsulate a kind of magic that a hundred lenses can’t capture. That’s the power of animation.”

IMPORTANCE OF PARITY

Underlying all of these arguments, is an understanding that creative and narrative parity is of the utmost importance. “It is only right for young people to be invited into the imaginations of women from all walks of life from all around the world,” Claudia explains. Siqi Song, director of ‘Dewmini’, also believes that “women telling stories from authentic experience could create a broader understanding of life in general and build deep connections to the audience, particularly the women audiences who could resonate, aspire, and be motivated by those stories.” Electra Fotopolou, Producer at Nexus Studios, argues that “we need women audiences to finally have the chance to engage with stories that speak to us and see that we also have the right and the opportunity to tell our stories ourselves.”

THE FUTURE 

Despite acknowledging that we are beginning to see a shift, there was a consensus amongst the makers that there is more to be done. Neeraja explains that “we need not just more Indian female filmmakers like myself, but also the voices of other diverse women—trans women, impoverished women, of colour, incarcerated, sheltered, and refugees. Their vast, untold stories are pivotal.” Hannah agrees with the need to “welcome an increasing diversity of storytellers into animation.” 

While these conversations made it clear that there is still a long way to go, there is also a lot to be celebrated. Women-led creative initiatives like She Creates Change resonate with these intentions on every level – from it’s goal to increase access to education for all 432 million girls worldwide, to its production approach. There are challenges, but there are also opportunities. As Electra eloquently summarises, “we have barely scratched the surface of the tales and emotions we can explore in female lead animated storytelling,” and here at Nexus we can’t wait to see what’s next. 

Warner Bros. Discovery will be broadcasting episodes of She Creates Change on March 8th, 15th and 22nd on their channels across Asia including Discovery Asia, Discovery + India and TLC India. 

Learn more about She Creates Change here.
Consider supporting Room to Read here.